Touchdown! How Foursquare Helps Washington Redskins Reward Fans

December 29, 2010

The Washington Redskins this fall became the first National Football League team to reward its fanatic Foursquare fan followers with a badge on the location-based site. To unlock the Foursquare badge when showing up for home games at the team’s FedExField, fans must check in within three hours before or three hours after each game ends, according to a post on SocialMediaExaminer.

Can’t get tickets? No worries! The team also established nearly 30 different “Redskins” bars and restaurants around the city where fans can get together and watch the games − and check in on Foursquare as they arrive.

What about away games? Again, no problem. The Redskins holds a series of rallies at partner establishments, where fans can check in and unlock a badge after three visits to a venue. The team also gives away prizes at the venues and sometimes brings in Redskins cheerleaders.

In a major promotion this fall, fans who unlocked the Redskins badge at FedExField or at participating establishments were automatically entered into a sweepstakes and could win prizes. In a random drawing of all entrants, the winner took away two loge tickets for a home game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the experience of tailgating with the GEICO caveman beforehand.

The results of the Foursquare promotion beat expectations. By December, Redskins fans had logged more than 20,000 check-ins at the home stadium and tens of thousands more at venues across the D.C. metro area. That’s pretty impressive for the team since it only has about 13,000 Foursquare followers and 15,000 Twitter followers.